Idaho’s postsecondary completion numbers are edging up, though the state has a long ways to go to reach its education goals.
Idaho officials continue to emphasize the state’s goal of having 60 percent of young adults continue their education beyond high school.
The latest numbers from the Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation show 40.7 percent of Idaho adults held a college degree or a professional certificate in 2017, up just one-tenth of one percent from the year prior. Of note, however, is that Lumina tracks all adults from 25 to 64 years old, while Idaho’s focus is limited to ages 25-to-34.
Idaho education, political, and business leaders have made the “60 percent goal” their top education priority, saying a higher postsecondary completion rate will help the state’s adults compete for jobs in a growing economy. Idaho’s rate ranked ahead of only three other states – Alabama, Nevada, and West Virginia.
Nationally, the postsecondary completion rate comes in at 47.-6 percent.
The Office of Idaho superintendent Sherri Ybarra expects numbers to rise more significantly in the future, when high school graduates who benefited from the Advanced Opportunities and other go-on efforts reach the age range tracked by Lumina. The advanced opportunities program provides seventh through 12-grade students with a $4,100 allowance to take dual-credit college classes or Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate tests.
The program is showing rapid growth, and lawmakers have funneled a record $18 million into the program for 2019-20. (IdahoEdNews.org)
